Michelle, My Belle
by mstef
Summary: Michelle was missing something. A father, one that had no idea he even had daughter. She unwittingly enlists the help of Murdock to bring her to him. Murdock/OC and SLIGHT Face/OC
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but Michelle, Nadia and Benjamin!**

**A HUGE thank you to my beta, Mlle Buckles. She is seriously amazing and I could not have done this without her!**

**This is my first fanfic, so let me know what you think! Enjoy! :)**

* * *

Michelle Bijou was nervous to say the least; her brown eyes were shut as she tried to contemplate her options as a million thoughts ran through her head. She could feel a pair of eyes staring at her; she did her best to ignore them as she felt her hands shake. She did _not_ work well under pressure and her best friend, Nadia Kendrick, was trying to guilt her to do something that she did not want to.

"Come on, please?" wheedled Nadia, "You know I'd do the same for you!" Michelle sighed. Yes, it was true that Nadia would do anything for her, but going to a crazy hospital to see a brother so shell-shocked he could no longer talk seemed to Michelle the type of thing you'd do on your own. Nadia's brother Benjamin had returned from the Iraq War a changed man. He was so affected by the horrors he saw, he was driven to insanity.

Michelle looked into Nadia's bright blue eyes. They were big as they normally were, but this time they were much more hopeful. Michelle frowned slightly. As she looked upon Nadia, she couldn't help but notice Nadia's figure. Nadia always had a fuller figure than most, but recently it seemed she had gotten a little bigger. Michelle hoped more than anything that Nadia hadn't noticed. She knew that Nadia ate when she was upset, and realizing she was bigger on top on everything would not help in the slightest. Nadia was a gorgeous blonde, but not many people seemed to seen beyond her size, which was unfortunate. Michelle clenched her jaw. She knew what she had to do.

"Ok, fine. But only if you promise not to stay long," Michelle relented. Even as she spoke, she cringed. She really did not want to go to

"Thanks so much Shelly!" Nadia squealed happily, tightly hugging Michelle whilst Michelle grimaced at the dreaded childhood nickname.

The reason that Michelle had such a tough time saying no to Nadia was not due to weakness on Michelle's part. Michelle was repeatedly told by close friends and family that she was a remarkably strong young woman. The problem was that Nadia was very sensitive about many things. In fact, the way the two became friends was in kindergarten after Michelle pushed Timmy Roberts into the mud after he made Nadia cry for calling her a "piggy". Nadia was a tad big for her age, but she was nice and Michelle didn't like people crying. After that, Michelle sort of took it upon herself to protect Nadia. The sort of ironic part was that Nadia herself was protective over Michelle. Nadia actually told Molly Cassidy,in the 4th grade,that she was a "wicked girl with no heart," because she stole Michelle's boyfriend. Michelle wasn't outwardly upset, which was why it touched her twice as much. Nadia and Michelle just understood each other, which was why they remained best friends to this day.

Michelle sighed again. A 23 year old girl should not have to deal with things like this, but Michelle had learned from an early age that things were not always fair. She grew up with only her mother to support her. Whenever she asked about her father, her mother wouldn't even tell her his name. All she ever told Michelle about her father was that he was a "no-good patriot that cared more for his country than his family." She knew that her mother didn't want her looking for him because she did not want her daughter to be hurt, but there were some days that she just craved a father figure in her life and after her dad, Michelle's mother swore off men. Ms. Bijou frequently told her daughter that her father left before he even knew she was pregnant and he never bothered to find out.

The ride to the Veterans Administration Psychiatric Hospital was quiet. Michelle really didn't know what to say to make Nadia feel any better. She knew that Nadia and Benjamin were really close and this was the first time that Nadia would have seen him since he got back.

However, when they finally got there, Nadia swooped to her brother and just started talking at him. Michelle felt that Nadia was doing it mostly for her own benefit rather than thinking anything she was saying was getting through to Benjamin. While Nadia was pouring her heart out to her brother, Michelle was trying hard not to eavesdrop. Instead she observed the hospital around her, but she was unsure which made her feel worse. Looking around, all she could see was people that seemed to have given up. It was incredibly depressing. On the other hand, there was one man that stood out to her. He was wearing an old pilot's hat and eating Hershey kisses. Michelle smiled to herself. The things that could entertain some people. She looked away from the man and shifted her attention once again to Nadia and Benjamin. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that Nadia looked distraught. It was obvious to Michelle that Nadia thought Benjamin would make some progress if she just talked at him for a while. And it wasn't working. Michelle couldn't bear to see Nadia like that. She slowly walked over to Nadia. Under her breath she muttered to Nadia, "It's not working. Let's come back tomorrow."

Holding back as many of her tears as she could. Nadia nodded and followed Michelle to the exit of the VA. Looking sideways at her companion, Michelle realized that it was going to be a long couple of months, if not longer.

* * *

A few weeks later, Michelle's premonition seemed to be correct. The pair of them went to the VA as much as three times a week and Benjamin's condition was not getting any better. Michelle went with Nadia whenever she went to the VA because she realized that Nadia would not be able to hold it together surrounded crazies. Nadia was too sensitive to the people around her, so Michelle took it upon herself to be Nadia's rock.

Today's particular undertaking was getting Nadia's mind off of the fact that Benjamin's condition was not improving even with all of the visits. This worried the nurses, which in turn freaked Nadia out. Plus, Nadia's birthday was approaching in a few months. Michelle used this to her advantage by planning a party. It was a plan within a plan and Michelle thought it was working swimmingly

"Alright so how many people do you think you want to invite?" asked Michelle as they walked into the VA. They had already decided that it would be at the park they loved going to as kids all the time. They both felt that this was a time that they needed to be reminded of the "good old days". They also had settled upon a costume party since Halloween was their favorite holiday, even though Nadia's birthday was in August. "Well I think I want to have a huge shindig, so let's just make an event on Facebook!" Nadia chattered on excitedly. Then she paused and looked at Michelle as they were walking past the nurse's desk. (They went there so often, the nurses automatically signed them in.) "Wow I actually feel better," continued Nadia," Getting my mind off of this whole thing really helps." Michelle grinned smugly and replied, "I love it when a plan comes together."

The man that was eating the kisses their first day at the VA turned his head sharply to the girls as soon as the words exited Michelle's lips. Michelle hadn't even noticed him since the first day, so it was strange to her that those words should have any effect. "What?" asked Michelle, unsure if the man was going to go bonkers on them. So far, Michelle had been lucky enough not to see a single breakdown in the numerous times she was in the V.A. And she wanted to keep it that way.

"What's your name?" the man asked.

"Excuse me?" asked Michelle, now not so scared, just very bewildered. The man had an aura of calmness around him, making Michelle wonder why she was afraid to come here in the first place.

"What's your name?" the man repeated, "My name is H.M. Murdock."

"What does the H.M. stand for?" asked Michelle warily.

"Well I asked you first," stated Murdock matter-of-factly.

"Oh, that's true," murmured Michelle, stalling. Closing her eyes and shaking her head, as if trying to convince herself no harm could harm from revealing her name, said "Well my name is Michelle Bijou."

"Hmmm," muttered Murdock, "Was your daddy in the war?"

At this, Michelle fell silent. Her father was always a sore spot. She looked up at her inquisitor. His green eyes were so big and expectant; for some she felt that she could not let this man down. She looked to the floor and said silently, "Probably."

Murdock looked confused. He opened his mouth, most likely to ask why, when Nadia spoke. "She never knew her dad. He left her mom before he knew she existed."

Michelle jumped. She had forgotten that Nadia was even there, but she was glad she was. She smiled at Nadia. She didn't know how, but Nadia always managed to be there for Michelle and she was glad of it. She turned back to Murdock. "The only thing she ever told me of him was that he was 'a no-good patriot that cared more for his country than his family.'" Michelle fell silent again. She had not told anyone that, except, of course, Nadia. She felt Nadia's hand on her shoulder. "We should go," whispered Nadia quietly. Michelle nodded and slowly turned around as Murdock said "Oh," disappointedly. As the two friends neared the exit of the V.A., Michelle remembered something.

"Wait!" she exclaimed and turned around so fast she almost slipped. Her hair was flying all over the place but she didn't care. She sprinted back towards Murdock and tapped him on the shoulder. "You never told me what the H.M. stands for," she panted as he turned around.

Murdock grinned. "Howlin' Mad," he replied with a wink, "Come back and visit real soon, ya hear?" He then turned around and walked away; leaving Michelle to wonder what she had just gotten herself into.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the delay guys, but here is Chapter 2! **

**Thanks to babydake93 and Sweet A.K for reviewing! I hope to get more this time around, they let me know that people actually like the story! :)**

**Also thanks again to Mlle Buckles for being an amazing beta! :)**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing that you recognize  
**

* * *

A few days had passed since Michelle met Mr. "Howlin' Mad" Murdock, and she could not shake the fact that she felt he knew _something. _After all, it was a Veteran's Hospital, albeit a psychiatric ward. Could this man have known her father? Michelle knew the chances were slim, but she also knew there was a chance. How else would he have known that her father was a military man? She tried talking to Nadia about it, but Nadia did not understand. How could she? Nadia had known her father her entire life, so there was no possible way that she could understand the hole that had been gaping there in Michelle's being. After about the millionth time of Michelle asking Nadia if she thought Murdock really knew her dad, Nadia sighed loudly and said exasperatedly, "If you are so damn curious, why don't you go back and ask him yourself?"

Michelle paused. Why _didn't _she just ask him herself? Because he's crazy, that's why! But then again, crazy or not, this was the first time that there was even a possibility that somebody knew her father. "Fine," stated Michelle, "Let's go." With that, she grabbed her bag and sped through the door.

"I didn't mean NOW!" called Nadia after her. When there was no response, Nadia sighed and followed her.

This journey to the V.A. was as silent as the first one, but that was because Michelle was filled with too much nervous anticipation to speak. She felt that if she tried saying anything, the tension in the air would prevent the words from ever reaching Nadia's ears. When they got there and approached the 'Welcome Desk', the nurse patiently asked, "And who will you be seeing today?" She spoke without even looking from her computer. It was obvious that this was what she did all day and the pair had to deal with it because neither called ahead this time. Normally when they saw Benjamin, they were able to bypass this formerly unseen nuisance. "Hmmm?" inquired the nurse, still looking at her screen.

Nadia pointed to the nurse, making it obvious that this was Michelle's battle and Nadia wasn't going to fight it. Michelle rolled her eyes, although she knew that if she didn't do all of this on her own she would regret it. She proceeded to step forward and stuttered, "M-M-Murdock."

With that, the nurse's eyes made contact with hers for the first time, "What did you just say?" she asked skeptically. "H.M. Murdock," repeated Michelle, this time more sure of herself.

"Oh," replied the nurse slowly, "That's what I thought you said. Well are you aware that Mr. Murdock is one of our more..." the nurse paused to think of the word, "_colorful _patients? He rarely gets visitors, and it is surprising when he does, if you get my meaning."

"I don't care, I need to see him," stated Michelle firmly, while trying to now ignore the doubts that were buzzing around her ears.

The nurse raised her eyebrows incredulously and said, "Alright, fine. Whatever you say." Michelle nodded and walked past her and made a beeline to where she saw Murdock the first time. He was in the same spot, sitting at a table with two open seats. His back was to them, but as soon as they approached, he spun around and said, "I have been expecting you," in a false accent while petting the air over his lap. Michelle froze. How could he have been expecting them? Seeing her anticipation, Murdock laughed and used his normal southern drawl again. "I heard you speakin' to the nurse. Take a seat!" Michelle sighed and stepped over to them, with Nadia in tow. As they were sitting down, Murdock lifted the air on his lap and set it on the floor, saying, "Okay Billy, go play now. And don't get into too much trouble."

Michelle shut her eyes for a second and sighed again. She folded her hands on the table and said "So." Murdock looked up at her and grinned. "So," he echoed as he leaned back in his chair, "What would you like to know."

"Well," began Michelle slowly, "How'd you know my father was in the military?"

Murdock leaned in and got suddenly serious. "That thing you said, about plans, is a quote that is often used by a friend of mine. And in my experience, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Michelle breathed deeply. So this crazy man not only knew her father, but he was _friends _with him? Words couldn't even express the way she was feeling right now. "So what's his name?" she asked softly.

Murdock leaned back again and grinned, _clearly_ enjoying his little game. "Why's a name so important? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, and all that jazz, eh?"

Michelle slammed her hands on the table as she got up and walked away. She could feel tears threatening to pour from her face. She should have known that this trip to the crazy hospital would be fruitless. Suddenly, she felt arms spinning her around. For a split second she thought it was Nadia, but then she realized Nadia was not this strong enough. When she stopped, she found that she was locked in eye contact with Murdock once again, his green eyes staring intently into her brown ones. He was once again extremely serious, while Michelle was rooted to the spot. "Hannibal Smith," he muttered in a low voice, "If I know your daddy, then he'd be Hannibal Smith."

Before she could respond, Murdock let go of her shoulders and walked back towards the table and Nadia was at her side, dragging her in the direction of the car before she could pester Murdock with any more questions. Michelle sighed, knowing Nadia was right. She didn't have to say it, but Michelle knew that Nadia was wary of Murdock, and rightfully so. They had to check his references. And what better reference than Ms. Bijou herself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, I am so glad that people like the story! Thanks to romana45, Sweet A.K, and dawn444 for reviewing! I adore reviews, so keep 'em coming**

**Also thanks to Mlle Buckle for being a glorious beta!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing you recognize  
**

* * *

Michelle spent the entirety of the car ride home wondering how she could bring up her father to her mother. Now that she had a name, she just had to find out if it was the right one. She didn't really have any idea until she actually made it into her house. That was when the plan started forming in her head.

Michelle slowly made her way into the kitchen, where she saw her mom washing dished. "Hey mom," she called.

"Oh hello sweetheart. How is Benjamin doing?" asked Elodie Bijou in her barely noticeable French accent.

"He's the same as a few days ago;but we met a very interesting man today," began Michelle coyly.

"Really? Well I suppose you'd meet interesting people in crazy hospitals," Ms. Bijou said knowingly, returning to her dishes.

"Yeah," Michelle was now getting to her point. "He had a lot of things to say. He was in the war. Like dad probably was," she added slowly.

Ms. Bijou's face darkened. "Your point?" she asked coldly.

Michelle breathed deeply before continuing. "Mom, does the name Hannibal Smith mean anything to you?" Ms. Bijou dropped the glass she was holding, causing it to shatter on the floor but the older woman hardly noticed. "So it's true!" yelled Michelle triumphantly while punching the air, before noticing tears in her mother's eyes. "Oh mom... Come on; let's go sit on the couch." Ms. Bijou just nodded and let her daughter lead her into the living room. "I guess I owe you an explanation," she sniffed.

"I agree," replied Michelle lightly, "Just start from the beginning."

Ms. Bijou breathed deeply. "Alright, well I met Hannibal five years before you were born. He was stationed at a base near the apartments I had moved into right after I left France behind. He caught me by surprise. He was charming and always seemed to know exactly what was going on. He always had a plan, which I guess made him romantic. I was always two steps behind; I suppose that was the problem. He knew where he was going and I was just following him around like a puppy." She paused, putting a finger up to her mouth, looking off in the distance solemnly. "I don't even know if he ever really loved me, or if it was all 'part of the plan' to just deal with me. I woke up one day and he told me he was leaving because he had orders to change bases and we were over since he couldn't have 'some dame' worrying about him."

Here Ms. Bijou paused once again. Michelle was unsure if her mother would be able to go on, but when she reached for her mother's hand, Ms. Bijou waved her away, apparently in need of more catharsis. "To this day, I don't know if he ever really loved me or if he even felt guilty about leading me on for five years." Ms. Bijou put her head down, apparently about to break down, and said in a surprisingly level voice, "I think you should go."

Michelle had never seen her mother like that before, so she thought it best to obey. She grabbed her bag and ran to her car, almost glad she had an excuse to escape and just think on her way home to her apartment.

Michelle forced herself to wait until at least the next day before filling in Nadia on everything. Thankfully, Nadia understood. The girls were able to tell when the other needed to talk. The skill came to fruition from being room mates ever since they graduated college. Nadia was an artist and Michelle was, as Nadia so lovingly called it, a computer geek. She was self employed and worked on whatever type of computer problems someone was having. She had odd hours, but in the age technology that ranged from grandparents wanting to see their grandchildren through webcams to tween boys needing virus removal from certain pesky sites, she hardly was out of work.

On their way to visit Murdock for the second time that week, the two girls chatted excitedly. It wasn't about anything in general, but it was a good vent to get Michelle's nervous energy out. She was shaking and could not wait until they got to the V.A. and when they finally got there, it seemed like it took ages.

As soon as Nadia parked the car, the two friends rushed inside; while Michelle just barreled past the office, Nadia spoke to the nurse, telling them that they needed to see H.M. Murdock right away. Michelle scanned the rec room and quickly spotted him. She ran over to him and spun him around to face her. "You were right," she panted. He looked confused, so she continued, "About my dad. He is Hannibal Smith." Recognition finally made its way onto Murdock's face. "You're in luck!" he yelled, grabbing her arm and leading her out of the rec room. Now it was Michelle's turn to be confused. "Wait, where are we going?" she asked. "Just trust me," whispered Murdock, "Grab Nadia, and follow me."

Michelle nodded. She wasn't sure at this point if he could be trusted, but at this point she knew she'd have to follow this through or she'd never forgive herself. Luckily, Nadia was just entering the rec room, so all that needed to be done was for the two girls to make eye contact and Michelle jerk her head and Nadia hurried over to them. Murdock wasn't slowing down, so Nadia had to jog to catch up to them. The trio finally stopped at a room that was quite obviously Murdock's because it had a huge sign proclaiming the fact. Murdock pushed the two girls inside and closed the door. Inside was a somewhat attractive man. He looked extremely surprised to see the two girls, as were they. There were no proper introductions made until Murdock reappeared a few seconds later and proceeded to smack his forehead. "Faceman, these lovely ladies are Nadia and Michelle, the ones I told you about. They are coming with us today."

'Faceman' nodded. "Gotcha," he replied. He turned to Michelle and Nadia and said "You ladies can just call me Face" while flashing them a winning smile. Michelle was a little wary of this and when Michelle turned to look at Nadia, Nadia just shrugged. Michelle hid a smile. It was nice to always have someone be on the same plane of thinking as she was. Face's smile faltered a bit when he realized the lack of effect it had on the two girls.

To change the subject, Michelle said in a louder than necessary voice, "So what's the plan here guys?" Nadia smiled at Face and started nodding furiously, almost as if to ease his pain at not having at least one of the girls swoon over him at first sight. Murdock grinned. "I thought you'd never ask. Just follow my lead." And with that, his eyes lost focus and he fell into Michelle's now outstretched arms. Her eyes were wide open with shock but Face just laughed, picked up Murdock and motioned for the girls to follow him. Michelle looked at Nadia, who shrugged once more and walked out the door behind him. Michelle, not wanting to be alone in the madhouse, slowly made her way towards the unlikely quartet of characters. Even though he had really done nothing to earn it, she was starting to trust Murdock. Whether that was the smartest idea or not seemed a lot less clear now. Shaking the doubt from her mind, she jogged to the group. If it didn't end up leading to her father, at least she wouldn't be bored. She had a feeling that her life was going to be a lot more interesting with H.M. Murdock in it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys I am SOOO sorry for the delay and I just want to thank EVERYBODY that reviewed, they make me happy :) **

**Btw, this is unbeta'd so please excuse any mistakes  
**

* * *

"Nurse. NURSE!" yelled Face down the hallway, frantically. He had broken into a sprint once they had reached the corner and Nadia and Michelle had to run to keep up with him. He continued to yell until he finally saw a nurse walking by. When they finally reached her, Face marched right up to her, Murdock in his arms, and practically shouted in her face, "What kind of facility are you running around here?"

The nurse's eyes widened in horror. Michelle could hardly blame her. After all, it probably wasn't every day that one of the their most active patients was unconscious in a stranger's arms. Or was it? Michelle couldn't be sure that normal logic applied here. Anyway, she stood slightly behind Face with Nadia beside her. "I-I-I'm sorry sir?"

Face frowned and shut his eyes. Even though she was new to this, Michelle could appreciate his talent. "Well," began Face, "Let me start out by asking you a simple question. Do you know this patient?" His voice got dangerously slow and quiet. Michelle shivered in spite of herself. The orderly seemed to as well, as she whimpered, "Yes. That's H.M. Murdock. He's usually much more active than that."

"Fantastic!" yelled Face, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "At least you know your patients' everyday normal decorum. Now could you please tell me why he is NOT active and why he is slumped over like a drunk at a bar?" The nurse's voice quivered as she whispered, "No..."

"Oh well you are in luck sweetheart," said Face, the sarcasm still present in his tone, "my assistants here," here he gestured to Michelle and Nadia, "were able to do your job for you. They are plain clothes chemists who were testing the air flow in Mr. Murdock's room due to complaints when he suddenly passed out on the floor. Now why do you think that was? Oh yes, because of SOMEbody's lack of care for this patient. Now if you don't mind, I am taking Mr. Murdock to get some proper medical treatment!" Face barely stopped for breath throughout this rant, let alone to let the nurse get a word in edgewise. He turned to leave and Nadia and Michelle went to follow. However, at the prospect of Murdock leaving the premises the nurse seemed to find her voice and she made a move to stop them. "Now hold on a moment, you can't just go and take out a patient. I didn't think that 'chemists' were ever in-"

At this Face turned once more and Michelle could see the false fury in Face's eyes reflected by fear in the nurse's. He started towards her as he yelled, "Are you going to be arguing their jobs at a time like this?" Face's voice echoed through out the hallway. People were starting to come out and stare. "This man could be dying thanks to you. I could have you fired for this! I swear if anything is wrong with this man when, or should I say IF, he ever comes to, I will make sure you never harm another patient again! Do you understand?" The last sentence he uttered through gritted teeth an inch from the nurse's face.

After this, the nurse seemed to remember her place and whimpered, "Yes" once more. Tears were welling up in her eyes as she turned, most likely to resign as an orderly before she could get fired. Face nodded curtly to her back and whispered to Nadia and Michelle, "Ok, move it!" The three of them hurried from the V.A. as fast as they could without looking suspicious. If any one of them had been paying any sort of attention at all, they would have noticed a small grin appearing on Murdock's lips.

The four of them finally made it outside with no one following them. Face was still in the lead, and the two girls now followed him to see which car they would be taking. They had walked for a good ten minutes before they reached a white convertible with an orange stripe on it in a deserted parking lot away from the VA. "Nice," murmured Nadia as she walked around the car. "Were you referring to my performance, or my car," asked Face with a wink as he all but dropped Murdock. "The car" replied Nadia with a shrug and a smile.

Michelle walked around the car herself as the two continued to banter. She was making her way to where Face had left Murdock. He hadn't gotten up yet and she wanted to make sure he was okay. As crazy as he was, she still knew him better than this Face fellow.

When she finally reached him, she found him lying on his back looking at the clouds. She looked up herself and smiled. There were some pretty nice clouds out today. Suddenly, she felt a hand tug on her own. She looked down to see Murdock's smiling face. "The view is much better from down here."

Michelle could feel her cheeks turn red. Flustered, she asked, "Are you alright?" Realizing he wouldn't be getting a partner in cloud gazing, he sighed, "Yep, all in a day's work." Not knowing really how to respond, Michelle spoke up. "Shouldn't we get moving?" Face and Nadia both jumped. They seemed to forget that there were others around them. As Nadia slipped off of the hood of the car where she'd been conversing with Face at the same time Face himself said quickly, "Oh yes, of course. It shouldn't take long though. But let's hurry!"

Smiling slightly at Face's sudden change in attitude, Michelle turned to get in the car when she heard a cough from underneath her. She looked and saw Murdock with an arm outstretched, clearly looking for assistance in standing up. In hopes that it would help things along, Michelle obliged. She reached a hand out and he grabbed him. His hand was strong and calloused, something she would expect from a former army ranger. Pulling him up was a cinch, Michelle figured he just needed someone to help get him balanced. When he was finally up, he looked up at Michelle, most likely to thank her, when his words seemed to get caught in his throat. Michelle would have asked him what was the matter but she found she could not speak either. The two of them stood there like fools, just looking at each other for what seemed like an age, when they heard Face clear his throat. Now it was Michelle and Murdock's turn to jump and Michelle realized with a jolt that they were still holding hands. She withdrew quickly, and with an awkward laugh she turned and went to go sit in the back of the corvette, with H.M. in tow.

"So where are we going," asked Michelle once everyone was settled in the car and on their way. From the back seat she could see Face smiling and knew she wouldn't be getting a straight answer. She figured that Face was the type of person that always liked to keep you guessing. And from the look on Nadia's face, it looked as though she was thoroughly enjoying the entertainment. It took all of Michelle's self control not to roll her eyes. "Well?" prodded Michelle.

Face continued to smile. "We're heading to one of the abandoned warehouses on the edge of town. Ya know, you girls are lucky. Usually the team has to scope out potential clients before we even meet them." "Well Faceman, these girls are quite special," stated Murdock as he looked directly at Michelle. Michelle could feel her cheeks turn red as she noticed the slight double meaning as Face plowed on. "I don't doubt that these ladies are special, Murdock. I'm just saying it isn't usual for us to take on clients without making sure they aren't with Lynch or anything of that nature."

"Um," started Michelle, a little unsure on how to begin, "Well we aren't really..." "Shelly!" cut in Nadia, "Come on now, we don't want to talk about this now. We'd rather wait until the whole team could hear us," She then turned around and made a face at Michelle while Michelle mentally hit herself. Of course she couldn't let Face know who she really was. He might not be as trusting as Murdock and she really needed to meet her father. Face seemed not to notice this internal issue. He was too busy sniggering at something. "What?" asked Michelle, although she was pretty sure she knew the reason. "Oh nothing," stated Face, "_Shelly." _Michelle sighed. This was going to be a long trip.


	5. Chapter 5

CH 5

They did not reach the warehouse until dusk. Michelle knew that she probably should be tired but all of the adrenaline flowing through her veins was preventing her from feeling even the tiniest twinge of drowsiness. Nadia was the first to speak. "Hey Michelle, isn't this right by the park we used to play at?"

Looking around, Michelle was shocked to realize she was right. "Yeah. Weird, I never noticed these here before."

The warehouse was dark from the outside, but Murdock led Michelle as Face led Nadia to the entrance. When they got inside, they were surprised to find that it was extremely well lit. Inside, the only two people there were a big black man and a man about Michelle's mother's age with gray hair. Michelle swallowed. This was actually happening. Without looking at them, the one who could only be Hannibal Smith yelled across the room, "Face, it's about time! You are starting to take forever!" Face's, well, face turned red as he huffed, "Hannibal, we have visitors!" Turning to the girls, he said, "That one is Hannibal, obviously, and the other one is B.A. Baracus." The girls nodded as they continued to approach the other two men.

Michelle stepped ahead to introduce herself and Nadia. "How do you do? My name is Michelle, and this is Nadia." She extended her hand and smiled. Hannibal smiled back and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you Michelle. How can the team help you?"

"Well Mr. Smith..." began Michelle, but he waved her off. "Please, call me Hannibal," he said as he took out a cigar from his pocket. Michelle sighed and started again. "Alright, Hannibal. Did you ever know Elodie Bijou?" His whole body tensed slightly. "What about her?" he stated in a somewhat offhand manner. "Well I'm her daughter..." Hannibal stopped attempting to light the cigar and looked at Michelle closely for the first time, "Yeah and?" he responded coldly. This made Michelle falter. "Well, um..." "Go on" coaxed Murdock behind her. "Well if you did, you're my dad. And you made my mom swear off men." Her words seem to hang in the air as Hannibal gaped at her. He dropped the cigar in his hand and if it was a glass he would have broken it.

Suddenly Michelle became conscious of the eyes on her. She turned and noticed the rest of the team staring at her and Nadia looking supportive. Face spoke first. "Wow Shelly, I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't that." B.A. Looked confused for a moment. "Hold up. I thought her name-" "It is," Michelle interjected, "Face just likes being an ass."

At this, B.A. started to giggle. "I like this girl! You know, his name-" "B.A., watch it," Face warned. Michelle's curiosity was now piqued, but before she could say anything, Hannibal cleared his throat. Michelle spun around, unsure of what his reaction was going to be. "Listen kid," he started, "how can I be sure that you're telling the truth. I mean, not for nothing, but there is this guy Lynch out there that would give anything to find out where I am. How do we know that you aren't working for him." Michelle's eyes opened in surprise. She hadn't thought about how the A-Team was a bunch of wanted fugitives. Sure, she'd seen some news specials on them, but they seemed harmless. Having Hannibal worried that she was on the other side was almost ironic. It cemented her belief that these weren't a bad bunch of men. But how to prove to them that she and Nadia weren't a bad bunch of girls?

"Ask me anything," challenged Michelle. This would work in two ways; she could prove she was clean and she could find out what Hannibal remembered of her mother.

Hannibal's eye's narrowed, "Fine," he said. This kick-started a nearly half hour long Q-and-A session. Michelle was impressed. The questions were interesting and ranged from "What is Elodie Bijou's middle name?" to "What does Elodie Bijou do every May 4th?"

As Hannibal's eyes grew less suspicious of her, Michelle joked, "I'm sure lucky my mother was a creature of habit!" Hannibal laughed, but there was a touch of sadness in his eyes and Michelle was shocked to see how vulnerable he looked. "You sure do remember a lot about my mom," she said slowly. Michelle was shocked to see a light tinge of red appear in Hannibal's cheeks. "Five years is a long time. I'm not completely heartless." With that, Hannibal coughed and the vulnerability was gone in an instant. "So what was your purpose in coming here?" he asked changing the subject.

Michelle was a little surprised, but figured that she had to humor him with an answer. "I just need to know you existed," Michelle replied. Hannibal merely snorted. Insulted, Michelle stormed out of the warehouse. As she reached the air outside, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Expecting Nadia, she was surprised to see Hannibal standing before her, with a sort of apologetic look on his face.

"Listen kid," he started, "I know this is gonna sound harsh, but you need to hear it. Your mom was a great lady, but not my type. What was actually supposed to be a one night stand turned out to be five years. She had a nice place and it was great to get away from the guys." Here he paused because Michelle appeared to be looking right through him. "You okay?" he asked. "Just continue," she replied coldly. Hannibal nodded. "I am truly sorry, and seeing you makes the guilt worse. I was just a kid myself, and-"

"A kid?" Here Michelle stopped him. "You were older than I am now. And I honestly don't give a _damn _if meeting me makes you feel guilty." She paused to breathe before continuing. "Look Hannibal, I'm not looking for a dad. I just needed to know where I came from."

Hannibal grinned. "We're more alike than you know."

"Not that similar," said Michelle flatly.

"If I had ever know Ellie was pregnant I would have-"

"It's fine," Michelle interrupted quickly, in a higher pitched voice than normal. "If I ever have a problem, I know who to call."

Hannibal simply nodded, knowing it was the best he could hope for. Feeling sufficiently calmed down, she walked back into the warehouse. Face and Nadia were talking, Nadia's arms folded across her chest but smiling. B.A. and Murdock seemed to be arguing over something. Nobody acknowledged her presence until she said, "Nadia, you ready to go?" Nadia jumped and then turned to Face. "Are we?" "Uh, yeah," Face replied slowly. "Come on Murdock, I need to drop you off anyway." "Coming Faceman!" Murdock said eagerly.

Michelle smiled. Murdock was making her do that more and more lately. As the four of them walked over to the corvette, Face pulled her from her thoughts by calling, "You wouldn't mind hopping in the backseat again, would you Shelly?"

Cringing slightly, yet continuing to smile, she responded, "Not at all Face."


End file.
